Knight of the Order of the Glean

Nobles of the Waning Court - The beauty of ripe fruit blended with the breach within autumn’s long shadows, every noble of the waning court is a vision to behold. Black, pupilless eyes dominate their fine-boned faces while sharp teeth lurk behind plush lips. The faeries’ ears are pointed like an elf’s, but slightly shorter. This is due to the antelope-like horns spiraling from their temples, the base of which are riddled with red-stained honeycombs. Waning court nobles wear their hair long, often braided with bones and sticks, and is a color of fall leaves. Their skin tone can best be described as bloodless. Commonly, these fey wear leathers cured of eldritch animals, cloaks made from a nightmare or displacer beast pelts, black iron plates, and amber adornments with petrified insects within. Most find their mien more savage than aristocratic. Stray direflies are their constant companions, always buzzing cryptic prophecies as they crawl about.

While there are many fey who share a drop of royal blood with the King in Amber this warrior is a cut above the rest. As haughty as it is alien, the knight of the waning host represents the lowest strata of the entitled waning nobles. Proven worthy after countless battles, or through courtly guile, the waning chevalier is gifted a throneshard sword to go along with its status. From there the fey may become a battlefield commander, a lone and questing antagonist, or devious coutier. The last is by far the deadliest. While the chevalier is clad in eldritch leathers like other soldiers of the host it is also adorned with a motley of accessories befitting its knightly order and personal trophies. One knight might bear a gossamer tabard clipped into place by the finger bones of a troublesome, but vanquished rival. The next wears pauldrons of exotic chitin and a cape woven from hair strands stolen from their amorous conquests. No matter the particulars of its eccentric appearance the waning chevalier is a terrible force to behold on the material plane.

Lady Faircrow is not like other fey knights of the waning court. She knows it and her Princess, the Mistress of the Last Sheaf, knows it. Neither speaks of it openly and neither is bothered by it. Faircrow isn’t motivated by personal gain, amassing power, or bloodletting like the rest of the court. She only wants to tend to her plants, fulfill her Princess’ orders, and protect the Solemn Harvester at events. The latter two she does so she can get back to tending to her plants. Of course, those plants are Deadwoods and other green horrors but that cannot be helped. Faircrow’s leather armor has more in common with farmer’s overalls in design than anything courtly and her voluminous cloak and cowl remind one of a scarecrow than a noble. She ignores the barbs thrown at her by the noble ton because she doesn’t have time for such pettiness. Carrying a scythe instead of a sword, Lady Faircrow is still a devastating combatant as the wounds she deals are exceedingly vicious. The Princess of the Last Sheaf values Faircrow beyond measure because she is the one fey that will never stab her liege in the back.

Faircrow the Vigilant

Medium Fey, lawful neutral

Armor Class 17 (studded leather armor)

Hit Points 178 (17d8 + 102)

Speed 30ft

Str 12 Dex 20 Con 22 Int 12 Wis 20 Cha 18

Saving Throws Con +10, Cha +8

Skills Animal Handling +9, Nature +5, Perception +13, Survival +9

Damage Resistances lightning, thunder, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered

Damage Immunities necrotic

Senses darkvision 120ft, passive Perception 23

Languages common, sylvan.

Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

Aura of Arrogance.

If a creature misses the waning chevalier with an attack the creature has disadvantage on attacks against that waning chevalier until the end of their next turn.

Breath Stealer.

Whenever Faircrow the Vigilant reduces a creature to 0 hit points, her Misty Step-like ability from Ephemeral Mien recharges.

Ephemeral Mien.

The waning chevalier ignores difficult terrain when moving. If the fey provokes an opportunity attack it may use its bonus action to gain a +2 armor class until the start of its next turn.

In addition, once per day, the waning chevalier may move as if it has cast the spell Misty Step.

Gruesome Chaff.

Whenever the waning chevalier takes 20 or more damage in a single attack; or suffers a critical attack, roll a d20 to determine what else happens to it:

1-10: Nothing else happens.

11-14: One leg is severed from the waning chevalier if it has any legs left.

15-18: One arm is severed from the waning chevalier if it has any arms left.

19-20: The waning chevalier is decapitated, but the waning chevalier dies only if it can't regenerate. If it dies, so does the severed head.

If the waning chevalier starts its turn in a square with a severed part it may use a bonus action to reattach the body part.

If the waning chevalier finishes a short or long rest without reattaching a severed limb or head, the part regrows. At that point, the severed part rots away. Until then, a severed part acts on the waning chevalier's initiative and has its own action and movement. A severed part has AC 15, 10 hit points, but not the waning chevalier's Regeneration trait.

A severed leg is unable to attack and has a speed of 5 feet.

A severed arm has a speed of 5 feet and can make one unarmed attack on its turn, with disadvantage on the attack roll unless the waning chevalier can see the arm and its target. If the waning chevalier loses both of its arms it loses its throneshared sword attack.

If its head is severed the body is blinded unless the head can see it. The severed head has a speed of 0 feet and the waning chevalier's Ephemeral Mien trait, save it may Misty Step once per turn.

The waning chevalier's speed is halved if it's missing a leg. If it loses both legs, it falls prone. If it has both arms, it can crawl. With only one arm, it can still crawl, but its speed is halved. With no arms or legs, its speed is 0, and it can't benefit from bonuses to speed.

Innate Spellcasting.

Faircrow the Vigilant can innately cast Plant Growth, requiring no material components. Her innate spellcasting ability is Charisma.

Magic Resistance.

The fey has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Red Thumb.

Whenever Faircrow regenerates, all plant creatures within 30ft of her regain 5 hit points.

Regeneration.

The waning chevalier regains 10 Hit Points at the start of its turn. If the fey takes bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage from a silver weapon, this trait doesn't function at the start of the waning chevalier's next turn. The fey dies only if it starts its turn with 0 Hit Points and doesn't Regenerate.

Actions

Multiattack.

The waning chevalier can make two throneshard scythe attacks as one action.

Throneshard Scythe.

Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d4+5) slashing damage. The creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution save or begin to bleed for 1 point of necrotic damage per turn until they receive healing. This bleeding damage stacks with each hit to a maximum of 4 points of necrotic damage per turn.

Deadwood Lance.

Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit. 12 (1d12+5) peircing damage.

Bonus Actions

Prideful Stride:

If the waning chevalier reduces a creature to 0 hit points with an attack they may immediately use the dash action as a bonus action. If the fey is mounted it may grant this ability to its mount instead.

Reactions

Ripen.

If one of the waning chevalier's severed body parts is reduced to 0 hit points or the fey uses their Ephmereal Mien ability to Misty Step the waning chevalier may have all of its severed body parts rapidly swell and explode with clouds of poisonous gas. Creatures within 10ft of each body part must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution save or take 21 (6d6) poison damage. On success, a creature takes half as much damage. If the waning chevalier can regenerate it automatically regrows all severed body parts, but does not heal at the start of its next turn. If the waning chevalier cannot regenerate the severed body parts regrow whenever the fey finishes a short or long rest.